Broken Memories
by TronaRi05
Summary: The world is a lie and the truth was hidden away ages ago by the Queen Nunally. In this day and age, there are no such things as "Knightmares" and the history of the queen's time period is vague but in this time period there is a brilliant young man...and he is the reincarnated genius-Lelouch. [Story basically about the reincarnated characters slowly regaining their old memories]


In a quiet music room, a dark melody that had been fabricated by snow white fingers; it's sound weaving through the two peoples' brains like spider webs of a haunted house. The person whom these notes came from was quite the dignified young man; tall, dark haired and handsome with just a hint of mystery. The person who simply sat by and listened was a slender girl, the same age as the young man, with beautiful long hair dyed a perfect light green. The two of them together was already a sight for the eyes, but the duet that they weaved? Well, let's just say that attracted less attention than they deserved.

After the song had finished with gusto, the green-haired girl glanced over at the boy and said, "Well…in all my years of knowing you, I never realized you were a composer."

The boy, with equal cockiness in his eyes, responded, "You just never bothered to follow me to the music room."

The girl smiled and rolled her eyes, "Lelouch, you've really changed."

Lelouch leaned back on the chair and smirked, "I have not. Even if I have it's just been a gradual change. It's nothing to be concerned about. How about you, Cece? You're the one that's dyed your hair a weird color."

"It's not weird if it looks good," Cece retorted, standing up and brushing out her skirt.

Lelouch stood as well, smiling at his old childhood friend, "Honestly though? I'm glad you transferred here. These people…they're all just so…"

"Plain?"

"Boring," Lelouch agreed, a genuine smile starting to spread across his face.

Cece giggled once more and opened her arms for a hug, which Lelouch complied to. After a brief moment of catching up, Cece pulled away and questioned Lelouch's family situation.

"Oh you know, same as always," Lelouch rolled his eyes, settling back down into the seat of the piano, "Warm family coziness with a side of drunken bickering. It's all resolved in the end though when they see their 'adorable little prince' and his 'sad violet eyes'. Or whatever nonsense they decide to spout."

Cece laughed, "Of course! Charles and Marie are still the same as ever I see."

Lelouch nodded, "How about you?"

"Oh…you know…my aunt decided it was time for me to explore the world."

"She got in a lot of debt and put you into this dorm school, huh?" Lelouch said confidently, with just a hint of lingering sympathy.

Cece nodded and then sighed. "You know, I don't have to go to school. I could just be working right now, but apparently I need an education so I don't end up like her. Or at least that's what my uncle told me."

Lelouch chuckled, "I've always liked your uncle."

Cece agreed with the slightest of smiles upon her lips.

The moment of reunion passed, however, when it happened. The infamous headache that Lelouch frequently had as a child. Flashes of unfamiliar faces would appear before him and none would make sense. It was like a waterfall of unpleasant sensations as those memories that weren't his washed over him. Over and over again, until Cece managed to shake him out of it.

"Lelouch!" Cece shouted loudly, shaking the trembling man harshly.

Lelouch's violet eyes shot open and he lurched up, as if he had just been woken up from a nightmare.

"I saw them again," Lelouch gasped, holding Cece's outstretched hand tightly. He looked into the girl's eyes, "Those…people. Blood…a strange bird symbol…and…and that man. That strange man…that evil man from history. Zero."

Cece shook her head with a sigh, "Lelouch, he's just a fictional character. There's no real record saying if he was actually there are not. Even the history of the royal family from Charles after was vague. We only knew of the queen Nunally and how she locked up all the dangerous weapons."

"I get it but…those people seem so real," Lelouch's eyes were pleading as if Cece's understanding would lead to his own salvation.

Unfortunately though, Cece did not understand and only thought her childhood friend to be a complete lunatic once more.

"You're just…tired," Cece suggested, pulling Lelouch up to his feet, "Let's go get some fresh air! Walk around and…clear your head of those weird thoughts."

Lelouch nodded, hands still trembling, "Right…right. That's all I need. Some fresh air to clear my head…"

As the pair walked out of the classroom, Lelouch began to loosen up again. His thoughts of war and bloodshed shoved far back into the very crevices of his mind. He laughed and told Cece some ridiculous stories about his pet cat, Arthur, and how it almost broke his father's precious masquerade mask as well as stories of how his baby brother, Rolo, pulled on Arthur's tail hard enough to make it run to Lelouch.

"Rolo? You have a baby brother now?" Cece's eyes widened in shock.

Lelouch nodded, "Rolo. He's an adorable little tyke. He's surprisingly energetic and whenever he sees me he'd always run to me. He's twelve now though…gosh time really flies by."

Cece mused that she had really been away for a long time if Marie had had a child and she didn't realize it. Lelouch laughed and continued on with his family's story, catching Cece up on what she had missed while she was with her aunt and uncle.

Once the duo had reached the dining hall, however, Lelouch's mouth clamped up and Cece was the one doing the talking. She told Lelouch what she had been up to and how she had been doing but Lelouch didn't stop talking because he thought Cece should have a go. It was because he felt as if he was in the midst of enemies.

Enemies is a harsh term to the average person, but to Lelouch…well the term simply felt right. They had never _actually_ done anything to Lelouch, but they just didn't feel good to be around-for him anyway. Oh, they felt fine and comfortable around Lelouch, of course, but no one ever feels the way Lelouch does. And that's what made him stand out from people. That strong sense that he was being watched. That someone, somewhere, was threatening to kill him at any given moment. And these people? These people that made him wary…well, it was none other than Suzaku and his gang of friends.

Suzaku Kururugi and his two friends—Anya Alstreim and Gino Weinberg. Those three were the bane to Lelouch's existence; or at least that's how he personally felt. The headaches were especially bad around those three and especially when Euphemia, Lelouch's distant cousin, was around those three as well. The headaches would get heavier and it was apparent on Lelouch's often blank face that he was in pain. And just his luck, on that very day that Cece returned, the four of them were sitting together…right next to the lunch line.

"Lelouch!" came the cherry voice of Euphemia as the duo tried to sneak past, "Hey, Lelouch!"

Lelouch froze and let out a cold, breezy sigh that could have been misinterpreted for anything. He turned and shot them a glare, "What?"

Euphemia froze for a second, surprised by her cousin's cruelness but then smiled again and said, "Do you want to join us?"

"Yeah dude, you totally could! Or…are you too busy with your girlfriend?" came Gino Weinberg's usual taunting.

"She isn't my girlfriend…and I don't want to join you," Lelouch cleared his throat awkwardly and began to move away again.

"Lelouch."

He froze. His blood ran cold just from the voice that called out his name. A voice that he was very unfamiliar with yet at the same time…Lelouch just couldn't shake that feeling that he knew him; it was the voice of Suzaku.

"Come on and sit with us! We're not gonna bite you," was Suzaku's cheerful invitation.

Lelouch took a deep breath and looked at Cece, "Do you want to—"

"I actually have something to do," Cece said, look apologetic, "I have to run errands for my aunt since she's coming into town to check up on me. I'll see you later though."

Lelouch smiled and nodded, watching Cece jog away with reluctance.

Gino wrapped his arm around Lelouch's shoulder and dragged him over to the table. "What's up with you buddy? You used to be so sociable back in middle school! Now look at you! You look like you've been through some crazy traumatic experience or somethin'!"

"PTSD," Anya suggested softly, causing Lelouch's gaze to shift towards her. Anya met his confused gaze and said, "That's what it's called. Post traumatic stress disorder."

"Ah…right," Lelouch nodded and then let out a hefty sigh, "Well, things at home have been heavy so…I haven't been feeling well these past couple years."

"Has it really?" Euphemia's gaze turned into one of concern, "Are they fighting again? Your parents."

Lelouch let out a hesitant nod, his body beginning to itch and crawl.

"Are you okay?" Suzaku looked at him. "Do you need to go to the bathroom or something?"

Lelouch stood, clearing his throat with pretend awkwardness, "Actually…I kind of do."

"Oh…sorry! We didn't realize," Suzaku smiled, "You'll come back though, right?"

Lelouch nodded and hurried off to the restroom.

When he arrived, he stood in front of the mirror, splashing water into his face to clear his head. He looked up into his reflection to see his pair of violet eyes staring back at him, but they weren't his. They were, but there were a pair of red birds etched within and this was something that disappeared with just a hard blink. He shook his head hard.

"Illusions. Schizophrenia. Something. It isn't real. Lelouch you're just going crazy…Zero is a fictional character…you aren't Zero," and it had started. The endless speech that he told himself day in and day out since he had turned fourteen. And once again, a voice from the back of his head responded.

"_But…you are. You aren't Lelouch Lamperouge…you're Lelouch vi Britannia. That girl out there? That Euphemia? You _killed _her. You made her kill thousands of innocent people yourself. And that Suzaku? He hates your guts for having to have helped you. And Zero? That's a persona you created yourself to turn into an all powerful god. This isn't you Lelouch. Snap out of it! This entire world is fabricated from lies…there's nothing but lies here. You aren't you."_

"Shut…up," Lelouch breathed through gritted teeth.

He took deep breaths, calming his jittery brain and eventually controlling himself. The thoughts that absolutely couldn't be real were stored away, stuffed into the back of his mind.

"You are Lelouch Lamperouge. You aren't any Zero of vi Britannia. Rolo is your little brother…you don't even know a Nunally…Suzaku and his friends are good people," Lelouch looked himself straight in the eyes and spoke a simple phrase, "There is nothing to be afraid of. This _is_ reality."


End file.
